Lighting fixture



A. R, ELMEN IGHTING FIXTURE iled J 2 Sheets-g 2 INVEN R Patented Apr.24, 1934 STTES iirrs PATENT OFFICE LIGHTING FIXTURE Arthur R. Elmendorf,signer to The Safety Woodbridge, Conn., as- Car Heating & Lighting 15Claims.

This invention relates to lighting fixtures.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a lighting fixturewhich will be thoroughly practical and durable in construction. Anotherob- 'ect of this invention is to provide a device of the above characterwhich will be of economical and ready manufacture. Another object is toprovide a device of the above character which because of the durabilityof its various parts reduces the possibility of breakage to a minimum.Another object is to provide a device of the above character certain ofwhose parts may be assembled automatically, thus reducing time and laborin assembly. Another object of this invention is to provide a device ofthe above character which, when in assembledcondition or in course ofassembly, automatically adjusts itself to remain completely assembledcontinuously. Another object of this invention is to provide a device ofthe above character adapted to be used in vehicles such as railroad carswithout certain of its parts jarring loose due to the inherent vibrationcaused by these vehicles when in transit. Other objects will be in partobvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, as will beillustratively described hereinafter and the scope of the application ofwhich will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown two of the variouspossible embodiments of the mechanical features of my invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a lighting fixture, certain of its partsbeing in section, and certain other parts being indicateddiagrammatically,

Figure 2 is a cross section taken along the line 2--2 of Figure 1showing the variousparts in operative position,

Figure 3 is a cross section similar to that of Figure 1 showing theposition of the parts when being assembled or disassembled,

Figure 4 is a side elevation of another embodiment of my invention,certain of the parts being shown in section and others being indicateddiagrammatically,

Figure 5 is a cross section taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 4 showingvarious parts in operative position, and

Figure 6 is a view similar to that of Figure 5 showing the position ofthe parts upon being assembled or disassembled.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of oer-1 tain features of thisinvention, it may at this point be noted that various devices such aslighting fixtures, when installed in vehicles such as railway passengercars, are subjected to considerable vibration and jolting, as when thesevehicles are in transit and particularly when the railway cars are beingcoupled together. Thus, these flxtures are subjected to extremely harduse and moreover are often placed in positions where their various partsmay be damaged. This is particularly true of the globes for thesefixtures, which are commonly constructed of glass, and when struck ortoo severely jarred, easily break, thus necessitating replacement. Oftenthese fixtures are positioned in almost inaccessible locations so thatextreme inconvenience and trouble are experienced in gaining readyaccess thereto to make repairs or for purposes of assembly. Inassembling the common form of fixture, various adjustments must be madeto secure the globe to the fixture and later these adjustable parts maywork loose due to vibration, causing annoying rattles and possiblebreakage. This invention aims to provide a thoroughly practical anddurable device for overcoming these and various other difliculties.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and more particularly to Figure1, there is shown a socket 10 supporting any convenient form of lightingdevice such as an incandescent bulb 11. Socket lflmay be supported inits operating position by any desired means and for this purpose I havebyway of illustration shown a bracket 12 having a flange 13 ofanysuitable shape to be conveniently secured to a fixed body such as awall 14.

Secured to the other end of bracket 12 is a supporting member 15suitably shaped according to the construction of various parts to bedescribed hereinafter. Supporting member 15 may take the form of acanopy having at its lower end a flange 16 extending outwardlytherefrom. Extending from the under surface of flange 16 on one side ofcanopy 15 is an L-shaped lug 1'? so constructed that its horizontal legor projection 17a extends outwardly toward the periphery of flange 16.The upper surface of leg 105 or projection 17a extends downwardly andoutwardly with respect to the horizontal plane of the under surface offlange 16. Suitably disposed at two other points on flange 16, andspaced from the center of socket 10 or canopy 110 15 by a distancepreferably equal to the spacing of lug 17 from the center, are twoL-shaped lugs 18 and 19. Lugs 17, 18 and 19 preferably lie in a circleand are spaced as shown in Figure 2. Lugs 18 and 19 are substantiallysimilar in construction to lug 17 having horizontal legs or projections18a and 19a respectively, extending outwardly toward the periphery offlange 16. The upper surfaces of projections 18a, and 19a extenddownwardly and outwardly in a manner substantially similar to the uppersurface of projection 17a.

I provide a light-reflecting and/or light-diffusing member 20 shown inthe drawings in the form of an open-ended globe; it has about its upperperiphery an inwardly directed flange 21 adapted to interlock with lugs17, 18 and 19 as will be more fully described hereinafter. The member20, hereinafter for convenience referred to as a globe, is yieldablydistortable and may be conveniently formed from certain synthetic resinssuch as phenolic condensation product, which may be readily moulded.Such a material may be made transparent or translucent and also may takecolorings from pigments suitable for coloring the emanated light or forpurposes of ornamentation. As above noted, the globe has the property ofresilient flexibility and may be distorted within certain limits whenpressure is applied thereto laterally whereupon it resumes its normalshape upon the release of pressure.

When the fixture or support 12-15 has been installed, as for example ina railroad car, so

that flange 13 of bracket 12 is secured to some stationary object suchas a wall 14, and a bulb 11 has been placed in socket 10, the fixture isready to receive the globe 20. Globe 20 is related to the under side offlange 16 with flange 21 of globe 20 inserted into the space betweenlegs 18a and 19a of the lugs 18 and 19 and the under face of flange 16.Globe 20 is then sufflciently distorted, by applying inwardly directedpressure at opposed points, as at points A and B in Figure 3, to distortglobe 20 to assume the shape indicated in Figure 3, so that flange 21,upon slightly swinging globe 20, passes by the projection 17a of lug 17.Thus the distorted portion thereof may be slipped over the outer end ofW projection 17a.

The upper surface of flange 21 is flat and is now substantiallyhorizontal to correspond to the under surface of flange 16 but the undersurface of flange 21 extends inwardly and upwardly at an angle tosubstantially correspond to the downward and outward inclination of thesurface of projections 17a, 18a and 19a. Upon re lease of the pressureapplied at points A and B, the globe assumes its normal circular shape,as most clearly shown in Figure 2, and flange 21 extends over thehorizontal leg 17a of lug 17' to form a wedge fit therewith. A similarwedge fit is achieved with lugs 18 and 19. Flange 21 preferably does notextend the whole way along the upper inclined surfaces of projections17a, 18a

and 1%, being wedged into its normal or final position, but the elasticproperty of the material of which globe 20 is made, insures the exertingof a constant pressure inwardly against the lugs so that a close fitbetween flange 16 of the canopy l5 and flange 21 of globe 20 is assuredthrough the coaction of flange 21 and lugs 17, 18 and 19. In this mannerI provide a self-adjusting action which takes up any slack which maydevelop in the fixture, and also assures a tight connection between theglobe and the fixture at all times. Various vibrations in the car whilein transit thus cannot loosen or damage the parts because of thisautomatic selfadjusting action. Also less precision of manufacture needbe exercised. Furthermore, because of the extreme durability of theglobe, all possibility of breakage is greatly reduced.

To more adequately meet certain peculiar conditions met with inpractice, I provide another embodiment of certain features of myinvention as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6. In this embodiment, the socket16 supporting the bulb 11 is in turn supported by a bracket 12 securedto a wall 14 by means of a flange 13 in a manner substantially similarto that described in connection with Figure 1. A canopy 15 having aperipheral flange 16 is secured to bracket 12 in a manner ashereinbefore described.

Extending from the under surface of flange 16 is an L-shaped lug 22having its horizontal leg or projection 22a extending inwardly towardssocket 10. The upper surface of projection 22a extends inwardly anddownwardly with respect to the substantially horizontal plane of theunder surface of flange 16. As is more clearly shown in Figure 5, twoother lugs 23 and 24 are disposed at suitable points on flange 16 havingprojections 23a and 24a; these are of a construction similar to that oflug 22. The three lugs lie preferably in a circle (see Figures 5 and 6).

A globe 25 of any suitable shape to be secured to the fixture or supportis formed of a yield-- able distortable substance preferably similar incomposition to that already described with reference to the preferredembodiment of my invention. Thus this globe has the dual property ofelasticity and durability so that it may be distorted and assembled in amanner to be described hereinafter and so that it may resist variousshocks met with in practice with small possibility of breakage.

A flange 26 extends outwardly from the upper periphery of globe 25 andhas a flat upper surface substantially corresponding to the fiat orplane under surface of flange 16. The under surface of flange 26 extendsoutwardly and upwardly at an angle substantially the same as theinclination of the upper surfaces of the horizontal legs of the lugs 22,23 and 24. To

assemble globe 25 to canopy 15, flange 26 is inserted into the angularspace between the horizontal legs of lugs 23 and 24 and the undersunface of flange 16 of canopy 15. Then pressure is applied at points 0and D, as is more. clearly shown in Figure 6, globe 25 is distorted intothe shape shown in Figure 6, whence it may be swung upwardly, flange 26clearing or by-pas'sing leg 22a of lug 22, and flange 26 seating itselfagainst the under face of flange 16 of canopy 15. Upon the release ofthe pressure, the globe assumes its normal. position as shown in Figure5, and flange 26 extends between the extending portion 22a of lug 22 andthe under surface of flange 16 to form a, wedge fit therewith. A similarwedging action simultaneously ensues as flange 26 extends inwardlybetween flange 16 and the projections 23a and 24a of lugs 23 and 24. Theelastic action of globe 25 exerts a pressure on flange 26 so that thewedging action between this flange and the projections 22a, 23a and 24ais continuous.

It will thus be seen that, in either form, the possibility ofdisassembly because of vibration or other forms of shock is reduced to aminimum, as is breakage of the various partsof' the fixture;

also rattling or loosening up is prevented. Furthermore, these globesmay be installed in the fixtures with little labor; the only labor necessary for assembly is the application of a small amount of pressure whilefitting the flange of the globe within the lugs and the subsequentrelease thereof so that the other portion of the fiange may beinterengaged with the other lug. On the other hand, if disassembly isnecessary at any time, this action is correspondin ly simple, aspressure is required at only two opposite portions of the globe toachieve suificient distortion to eifect its release from the support orfixture.

It will be seen that I have provided in this invention a lightingfixture having many practical as well as economical advantages. Byemploying a globe of shock-resisting material, I have greatly increasedthe durability of the entire lighting fixture for the globe forms acomparatively large part thereof. Furthermore, because of the elasticityof the globe and the unique wedging action between the support and theglobe, the possibility of loosening up of the coacting parts andsubsequent bothersome and noisy rattling are prevented. The extremelysimple method of assembly also reduces the amount of labor necessary forinitial installment and subsequent repair or replacement of either theglobe or the lamp itself.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an entirely practical andefiicient device in which the several objects and advantages hereinaboveset forth, as well as many others, are successfully achieved.

In using the term globe, I do not intend to import any undue limitationbut mean to include therein any light-affecting shade, globe, reflectoror the like, whether it is used for lightreflecting or light-diffusingor for purposes mainly 01" ornamentation.

As many possible embodiments may be made in the above invention and asmany changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is tobe understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture adapted to receive an illuminating bulb, a substantiallycylindrical globe formed from a yieldable distortable self-sustainingtranslucent material, and means on said lighting fixture adapted tosecure said globe to said fixture out of engagement with said bulb, saidmeans interfitting with said globe when said globe is in its normalshape and being disengaged therefrom when said globe is distorted.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture including an illuminating bulb, a hollow globe formed fromselfsustaining translucent material and having one end open larger incross-section than any crosssection of the bulb, said globe beingcapable of temporary distortion, and securing means on said fixturewhich said globe may by-pass when distorted and adapted to interlockwith said globe upon said globe assuming its normal shape, said globebeing out of engagement with said bulb when interlocked witl saidsecuring means.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture adapted to hold an illuminating bulb, a hollow globe formed fromtranslucent material having the inherent characteristic of retaining itsshape and having one end open larger in crosssection than anycross-section of said bulb, said globe being capable of temporarydistortion, and securing means on said fixture i terfitting with saidglobe, said globe being out of engagement with said securing means andsaid bulb when distorted and out of engagement with said bulb wheninterfitted with said securing means.

4. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture adapted to hold an illuminating bulb, a hollow globe formed froma yieldable distortable material which has the inherent characteristicof retaining its shape and having one end open larger in cross-sectionthan any cross-section of said bulb, and means for securing said globeto said fixture out of engagement with said bulb when said globe assumesits normal shape and for releasing said globe from fixture when saidglobe is distorted.

5. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture including an illuminating bulb, a hollow globe formed fromyieldable translucent material having the inherent characteristic ofretaining its shape, and means holding said globe to said fixture out ofengagement with said bulb adapted to be rendered ineffective upon thedistortion of said globe thereby permitting the removal of said globefrom said lighting fixture while said bulb is in its operative position.

6. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture, means associated with said lighting fixture providingwedge-shaped recesses thereon, and a globe formed from a yieldablematerial having an outwardly extending an nular flange substantially atone end thereof, said flange adapted to be seated in said recesses uponthe distortion of said globe and to form a wedging interlock therewithwhen the globe assumes its normal shape.

7. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture, a series of parts secured to said lighting fixture and formingwedge-shaped recesses peripherally disposed upon said fixture, and aglobe formed from yieldable material and having an annular fiangesubstantially near one end thereof, said flange adapted to be disposedin registry with said recesses when said globe is distorted and to forma wedge fit with said recesses when said globe assumes its normal shape.

8. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture, means secured to said lighting fixture forming wedge-shapedrecesses, a yieldably distortable globe, and means secured to said globeadapted .to form a wedge fit with said recesses when said globe is inits normal position.

9. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture, lugs extending from said lighting fixture, and distortablelightaffecting means for said fixture shaped for interlocking engagementwith said lugs and being out of interlocking engagement with said lugswhen distorted.

10. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture, means including light-directing means for said fixture andhaving a portion that is yieldable, lugs extending from said fixture,and a flange on said yieldable portion of said light-directing means,said flange being adapted to by-pass at least one of said lugs upon thedistortion of said yieldable portion and adapted to interlock with saidlugs upon said portion assuming its normal shape.

11. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture including an illuminating bulb, a hollow globe for said fixtureformed from yieldable and translucent material and having one end openlarger in cross-section than any cross-section of said bulb, and aninwardly directed distortable flange on said globe, said flangeinterlocking with said fixture to hold said globe thereon out ofengagement With said bulb and adapted to be disengaged from said fixtureupon the distortion of said flange.

12. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture including an illuminating bulb, a hollow distortable globeformed from self-sustaining translucent material having an open endlarger in cross-section than any cross-section of said bulb, and aflange extending outwardly from said globe to interlock with saidfixture and hold said globe out of engagement with said bulb, said partsbeing adapted to be brought out of interlocking relation upon thedistortion of said globe.

13. In a device of the character described, in

combination, a lighting fixture, lugs extending from said lightingfixture, yieldable light-directing means for said lighting fixture, anda flange on said light-directing means to interlock with said lugs, saidflange being movable out of engagement with at least one of said lugsupon distortion of said light-directing means.

14. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lightingfixture, spaced lugs on said lighting fixture and arranged in a circle,and light-directing means for said fixture made of a distortablematerial and having circular means distortable out of circular shape topermit interfitting with said lugs.

15. Ina device of the character described, in combination, a supportadapted to have a source of light related thereto and having meansproviding a plurality of peripherally spaced Wedgeshaped' recesses, anda globe of yieldable material having a Wedge-shaped flange adapted to beseated into said Wedge-shaped recesses upon initial distortion of saidglobe and subsequent yielding thereof toward assumption of normal shape.

ARTHUR R. ELMENDORF.

